This invention relates to the fastening of clips by means of staples and the like driven into a work piece. The particular clip which is of concern is a spring mounting clip of U-shape having diverging legs and one of which is longer than the other. These clips are used in the construction of furniture to hold spring coils and the like, and heretofore they have been installed individually by placing them manually followed by the application of a fastener driven by a hammer or by a pneumatic drive tool. Obviously, the manual hammer application and/or orientation of the pneumatic tool is time consuming. Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to eliminate the handling and orientation of individual clips by automatically supplying them into oriented position with respect to a fastener tool during the fastener driving operation.
It is common practice to supply staples and clips from spring biased magazines carried by a single pneumatic fastener driving tool. However, the particular clip with which this invention is concerned has required individual handling, due to its U-shape and the dissimilar lengths of its two legs. Such clips are supplied as loose individual clips for manual application, and they are stacked in columnar formation for tool application and characterized by a nesting together and overlapped formation of sequential clips. This nested and overlapping of stacked clips has required their separation in feed mechanisms which have therefore been complicated and cumbersome and not altogether conducive to use in hand carried tools where light weight and compactness is to be desired. Heretofore, forward separation of the foremost clip from the stacked supply thereof has been unobvious and overlooked, and for example typical clip feeders have separated the foremost clip laterally from the magazine supply. Consequently, the clip magazines of the prior art have had interferring relationships with respect to the fastener magazines, and all of which has required separation and angular dispositions of one magazine to the other. It is an object of this invention to provide a compact and light weight clip magazine and feeder that is closely positioned and combined with a fastener magazine with which it cooperates to orient a single clip beneath a single staple for each succeeding installation of a clip fastened by a staple. With the present invention the sequential clip and fastener feed coordination is entirely automatic, as will be described.
The fastening of clips of the character herein referred to has required fastener driving tools of special head design and special fastener magazine design, in addition to the special design of a clip feeder and magazine therefor. It is an object of this invention to adapt a special clip feeder and magazine without requiring a special tool head design and without requiring a special fastener magazine design. In other words, the fastener driving tool head and fastener magazine remain unchanged, and all that is necessary is several anchor attachments for adapting the clip feeder and magazine as it is hereinafter described.
It is an object of this invention to adapt the aforesaid clip feeder and magazine close to the fastener magazine, adjacent thereto and in alignment below said fastener magazine. Therefore, the preferred clip magazine is bottom opening for travel of the stack pusher and manual access thereto. However, it is to be understood that top and side opening magazines are also feasible.
It is an object of this invention to separate the foremost clip from the columnar stacked supply thereof, preceeding the trigger actuation that operates the drive tool. With the present invention a lever means is depressed by engagement against the work piece, which retracts said columnar stack of clips from the said foremost clip to be secured. The said foremost clip is held positioned for receiving the fastener by gripper means and attractor means, as will be described.
It is an object to provide a clip magazine feed for fastener driving tools which is light weight and comprised of a minimum of simple and dependable parts that are accessible for maintenance while being protected as required in order to prevent damage thereto. Operation thereof is positive and trigger actuation of the drive tool is manual or timed, as desired, so that proper penetration of the clip by the fastener is ensured.